Did you know that even the President of the United States, Joe Biden, is a cat dad dealing with a kitty who rules her home and does was she wants? Biden say that their family cat, Willow, likes climb into bed and lay on top of his head in the middle of the night. She has free range of the White House executive residence’s second and third floors and can freely nap on staffer’s desks if she likes.
Willow the First Cat was adopted in 2021 after Jill Biden met her at a farm during a campaign speech. The future First Lady bonded with the cat who was living with a foster family and waiting to be adopted. Joe Biden had made a campaign promise to adopt a cat into the First Family, and Jill had grown attached to the green-eyed tabby that hopped on stage and interrupted her campaign speech. The kitty was named Willow Biden after Jill’s hometown of Willow Grove, Pennsylvania.
While she was adopted in 2021, Willow didn’t move into the White House until 2022 because of concerns she wouldn’t get along with the Biden family’s German Shepherd, Major. Due to reported biting issues, Major went to live with friends of the family in Delaware and Willow was able to move in.
Jill Biden wrote a New York Times bestselling picture book called “Willow the White House Cat” with illustrations by Kate Berube. The book gives a cat’s-eye view of the White House and tells the story of how Willow made her move there from the farm where she was originally fostered.
Willow is a well-traveled cat, as she goes with the First Family on weekends to Rehoboth, Wilmington and Camp David. She spends this vacation time from being the official White House mouser to lounge in the sun on the porch. After all, it’s a heavy head that sits on the head of the leader of the free world.
